Building structure



1951 J. J. WHELAN 2,574,307

BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed May 20, 1946 2 SI-iEE-TSSl-1EET- l INVEN TOR.

He. 7 g BY Attorney 10 62 JohnJ Whe/an Nov, 6, 1951 John J. Wheian Patented Nov. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 2,574,307 BoiLmNG STRUCTURE John J. Whelan, Portland, Gregassign'o'r; by .mesne assignments, to Timber Structures, 1110.,

a corporation of Delaware Application May 20, 1946; Serial No. 670,865

2 Claims: 3

This invention relates to building structures and more particularly to roof supporting arrangements.

The roofs of buildings are ordinarily supported by truss arrangements which in the event of rele atively long spans become very complicated and costly. Airplane hangars and particularly for the storage of relatively small privately owned planes have heretofore been excessively costly because of the heavy and expensive truss struc+ tures required to support the long roof span, par ticularly over the doorways.

It is an object of the present invention,- there fore, to provide a new and improved roof structure and supporting arrangement therefor and which is particularly suitable for use in connection with airplane hangars and the like buildings.

A further object of the invention is to provide anew and improved suspension arrangement for relatively fiat roofs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved roof structure and supporte ing arrangement therefor which may be readily adjusted at any time to correct sag conditions.

A further object of the invention is' to provide a novel and-inexpensive roof and which may be quickly assembled and maintained at minimum cost.

A still further object of the present invention isto provide a new and improved inexpensive inulti-compartment airplane hangar.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the invention comprises a plurality of rectangu lar wall panels of such a size that they may readily be prefabricated in a central manufacturing or assembly plant and transported to the site' for erection. The wall panels are adapted to be set up and secured together, each wall panel extending at right angles to the next adjacent panel so as to define a plurality of T-shaped compartments for receiving an airplane in each. An upright is provided which is secured to the innermost Wall sections and extends a considerable height thereabove. then assembled over the top of the wall sections and the central portion of the roof is supported directly upon the upper ends of the wall panels.

The roof spans over the large door openings providing access for planes to the-respective compartments are supported by means of cables connected at suitable points on the edge of the roof above the (1001 openings and extending to the top of the upright extending centrally above the roof. described conventional trusses are entirely elim- A relatively flat roof is With the roof suspension arrangement as inated whereby the overall cost of the building reduced to a minimum and at the same time a building is provided having unusual stability and sturdi-ness; Additionalobjects and advantages or the invention will become apparent. from-the following description taken in connection with-v the accompanying drawings while the features of novelty will be pointed out with greater particue' larity in the appended claims}.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a view in perspective illustrating a hangar constructed in accordance with one modification of the invention; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view in perspective illustrating the arrangement of thewall panels of the hangar defining the various plane compartments; Fig. 3' is a cross sectional view of the hangar taken along line 3"3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic View in perspective taken along line 474 of Fig. 3 illustrating the beam arrangement over the top of the wall sections; Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken along line 5... of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is an enlarged view in P'BISDBG-s tive illustrating a further detail of the invention; Fig. '7 is a cross sectionalyiew taken along line 1':! of Fig. 1; and Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along line 8' 8 of Fig.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 the hangar of the present invention comprises a plurality of rectangular wall sections or panels which are all of substantially similar construetion and may consist of a suitable frameworko f 2 X 4s and covered on one or both sides with suitable sheathing such as plywood. These wall panels being of relatively small size such as ofthe order of 8 it. by 15 ft. may conveniently be prefabricated by theuse of jigs lira central man-.- ufacturing or assembly plant and loaded onto a truck and hauled to the site for erection.

The wall panels are erected in a manner-as illustrated in Fig. 2; the various panels being rigidly secured together at right angles to each other in a manner so as to define aplurality of nested Teshaped plane compartments for maximum utilization of space. The inner panels are indicated at 1, intermediate panels at 8 and 9 and outer panelsat l0. If it is not desired to provide a floor, such as of concrete, for the entire hangar suitable footings; such as concrete blocks may be provided under each of the corners of the wall panels as indicated at [2 in Fig. 3. The erection of the wall panels is greatly facilitated by virtue of the relatively small size' thereof and also because of the fact that each panel is joined to the end of the next adjacent one at rig-ht angles thereto;

It will be observed that the four inner panels I at the center of the hangar are arranged at right angles about an upright member 14 which extends a considerable distance above the wall sections. The upright member [4 may consist of a length of heavy metal pipe, the lower end of which is seated upon the central concrete block or other suitable footing l5 substantially at the level of the lower edge of the wall sections. The wall panels 1 arranged next adjacent the upright member may be rigidly secured thereto such as by bolts 6 (see Fig. 8) extending through the pipe and through the adjacent frame members of the wall panels. In the erection procedure these wall panels sufficiently stabilize the upright without the necessity for any further guying.

Referring now particularly to the perspective view of Fig. 2, it will be observed that the wall panels are erected so as to define four nested T-shaped compartments, each compartment being open along one side of the hangar over a width somewhat greater than the length of the wing span of the airplane to be housed therein, the width of the opening being equal to the length of three of the wall panels. The outer wall panels 10 extend in the plane of the hangar opening for each compartment. The panels III are provided with relatively heavy upright members 5 and I1 at each of the opposite ends thereof providing vertical supporting columns for the roof structure at each of the four corners of the building. Similarly, relatively heavy upright members l8 and I9 may be provided at each of the opposite ends of the intermediate wall panels 8 providing vertical support for the central portions of the roof.

As illustrated in the views of Figs. 1 and 3 the roof structure is relatively flat, being provided with merely sufficient slope downwardly and outwardly from the center to insure adequate drainage. The roof structure comprises an arrangement of horizontal beams extending over and parallel with the upper ends of the wall panels. A plurality of relatively closely spaced joists are provided over the beams and upon which the sheathing is applied.

Referring to Fig. 4, the beam arrangement includes four members 30, 3|, 32 and 33 extending outwardly at right angles with respect to each other and having their inner ends butted against and secured relatively to the central upright I4. Extending parallel with each of the beam members to 33 inclusive and spaced therefrom respectively are beam members 34, 35, 36 and 31. The pairs of parallel beam members 30, 34; 3|, 35; 32, 36; 33, 1; are braced apart by intermediate members 40, 4|, 42 and 43 which extend between the adjacent corners of the wall sections 8. Suitable spacer members 52 are provided between the outer ends of the various beams and between the beams and the adjacent outer wall sections [0.

It will be observed that the outermost ends of each adjacent pair of parallel beams 3|, 35; 32, 36; 33, 31; 30, 34; extend above the door openings in each of the opposite side walls of the hangar and furthermore that these outermost beam ends are spaced apart by a distance corresponding to one-third of the total width of the door opening. In the assembly of these roof beam members the innermost end portions thereof are rigidly secured to the upper ends of the wall sections over which they extend, the innermost ends of the central beam members 30 to 33, inclusive, being shaped so as cooperatively to fit snugly against the surface of the upright or pipe mast [4 as illustrated more clearly in the detail view of Fig. 5. These beam members are furthermore secured together through the intermediary of angle members 46 arranged in the corners between each adjacent pair and the assembly is rigidly held in place around the mast by means of bolts extending through the ends of the beam members and the angle plates 46.

The outermost ends of the roof beam members may be suitably supported upon temporary props positioned therebeneath and the roof joists, indicated at 49 in Fig. 3, are then arranged acros the top of the beam members and which joists are suitably braced apart by spacer members 50. These joists may be arranged in any suitable manner so as to give the roof the desired slope. Sheathing 60, such as plywood is then applied over the top of the joists and which may in turn be covered with a suitable weatherproof roofing material.

Either before or after the sheathing is applied cables 51 connected at their uppermost ends to the top of the upright I4 are secured to the outermost ends of the roof beams above the door openings. The cable fastenings to the ends of the roof beams may be of any suitable form such as that indicated in the enlarged fragmentary perspective view of Fig. 6. Referring to this view an angle bracket member 5| is shown within which is bolted the end portions of the beam members 52, extending over the door opening, rigidly securing them to the intermediately extending end of the roof beam member such as 30. The bracket member 5| also includes an upwardly extending portion 55 which is provided with an opening therein for receiving the end of an eyebolt 56 to which is secured the end of the corresponding cable 51. Due to the symmetrical arrangement of the roof beams about the upright l4 the various roof suspension cables 51 also extend symmetrically about the upright so that the horizontal components of force are counter balanced thereabout. The tension in the various cables may be adjusted as required for elimination of sag of the roof span across each of the door openings of the hangar by adjustment of the nuts on the outer ends of the eyebolts 56 at the edges of the roof. Due to the location of these adjusting nuts they are readily accessible at any time during the usage of the building following initial erection thereof whereby any condition of sag of the roof openings due to settling of the footings or for any other reason may be easily and quickly corrected.

While not essential to the practice of the present invention sliding doors may be provided for closing the hangar openings. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 7 such doors may consist of three separate panels 62 suspended from independent overhead rails and adapted to be slid in an overlapping relation over the hangar wall panel ill at the one side of the opening as illustrated by dotted lines 63 in Fig. 7.

In the description given the hangar includes in-4 dividual compartments for four planes. It is to be understood, however, that one or more of the compartments may be specifically designed and adapted as shop or oflice quarters. Furthermore it will also be obvious that the upright mast to which the upper ends of the roof suspension cables are attached is not necessarily limited to a steel pipe since a suitable upright structure extending above the central portion of the roof may be provided by other means,

Having described the invention in what is considered to be a preferred embodiment thereof it is desired that it be understood that the specific details shown and described are merely illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means.

What I claim is:

1. In an airplane hangar structure, the combination comprising a plurality of similar rectangular wall sections defining in part a pair of T- shaped airplane compartments, said compartments facing in opposite directions with wide airplane entrance openings thereto in opposite sides of said hangar, a pair of said wall sections being arranged in a parallel spaced apart relation and forming the side walls of the inner end portions of each of said compartments, a pair of parallel beam members resting and supported on the upper edges of corresponding ones of said pairs of parallel wall sections, said beam members extending parallel with said wall sections, the outer ends of said beam members projecting to the outermost ends of said compartments above said openings, an upright pole arranged centrally of said structure, a relatively flat roof supported centrally of said hangar upon said pairs of parallel wall sections, the outer corner portions of said roof structure being supported upon the upper edges of the other of said wall sections defining outer portions of said compartments, the portions of said roof structure over said entrance openings resting upon the outwardly projecting end portions of said pairs of horizontal beam members, said upright pole extending a considerable height above said roof structure, and tension members extending between the upper end of said upright pole and the outer ends of said pairs of beam members and supporting portions of said roof structure and beam members over said entrance openings.

2. In an airplane hangar, the combination comprising a plurality of similar rectangular wall sections defining four oppositely facing T-shaped airplane compartments nested symmetrically together about the center of said hangar, each of said compartments having a wide airplane entrance opening, an upright pole arranged centrally of said hangar and extending from the wall to a point considerably above the roof of said hangar, a relatively flat rectangular roof structure surmounting said hangar, said roof structure including a plurality of pairs of parallel spaced apart horizontal beam members, each of said pairs of beam members being supported at their inner ends upon corresponding pairs of parallel spaced apart wall sections forming the side walls of the inner end portions of each of said compartments, each of said beam members being aligned with a corresponding one of said last mentioned wall sections, one of said pairs of beam members being provided for each of said compartments, the outer end portions of each of said pairs of beam members extending beyondsaid corresponding pair of wall sections to the outermost edge of said roof structure abovethe entrance opening for the corresponding one of said compartments, the four outer corners of said roof structure being supported upon corresponding outer wall sections of said compartments, and tension members extending between the upper end of said upright pole and the outer ends of said pairs of beam members supporting the roof portions above said entrance openings.

JOHN J. WHELAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 479,054 Briggs July 19, 1892 2,282,756 Curran May 12, 1942 2,345,500 Petter Mar. 28, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 125,648 Great Britain 1919 23,788 France 1921 855,612 France 1940.

OTHER REFERENCES The Architectural Forum, March 1942, pages 52 and 53. 

